Sunday

Giving teeth to an office that oversees health programs geared toward minority populations is the aim of legislation filed by state Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville.

The Office of Minority Health was created by lawmakers in 2008, but it was given no defined responsibilities or structure.

"All it says in the statute is that there is established within the Department of Health the Office of Minority Health," said Melvena Wilson, the office's acting assistant director. "We don't have a defined role."

Jones' bill would codify many of the issues the office currently handles into state law, which would provide it both structure and protection. Another goal, Jones said, is making certain the state recognizes the importance of minority health programs.

"We want to recognize that we still have such a large disparity with these minority populations. We need to be proactive, and not reactive," she said.

Among other things, the bill would give the office oversight over contracts designed to reduce "racial and ethnic health disparities," require the creation of an interagency Committee for Minority Health, require the office help develop curriculum for medical schools that focus on clinical practices specific to the needs of minority patients.

Wilson said that the office currently does some of the things laid out in the bill. She pointed directly to a program that gave out $4.7 million in grants to help minority populations, including $654,652 to five organizations in Duval County.

"We have already been the office that coordinates the Closing the Gap Grants," Wilson said.

She said the bill would give her office, whose current-year budget is $2.5 million, stability by placing its responsibilities into state law.

Jones said that issues like infant mortality, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are at much higher levels in minority populations, a strong central office to combat the problems is important.

"We know as a state there is a problem, we just really need to do a better job acknowledging it," Jones said.

Of the political reality of a Democrat getting a bill passed out of a Republican-dominated Legislature, Jones is optimistic.

"I think it's something leadership should be able to get behind. We are not asking for any dollars right now," said Jones, who said a mechanism for additional funding could come in the future.

An identical version of the bill in the Senate is sponsored by Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa. For a bill to become law, it must be passed out of both chambers of the Legislature.

matt.dixon@jacksonville.com, (352) 233-0777

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